Nielsen announced its 2025 ARTEY Awards winners this week—meaning they tallied up which shows had the most streaming views in the US last year—and guess who won for a second year straight. That’s right, Bluey was once again the biggest show in the west…even though it didn’t release any new episodes last year. While “top show stays on top” might be a little too “dog bites man” to earn a Gold Star, we didn’t want to ignore this dog’s achievement! Now on to our five nominees, who all really worked it this week:

Bhooshan’s Junior: This lesser-known Indian kid-tech banner just bagged a high-profile partnership deal with none other than former Nick superstar JoJo Siwa. After a few years making catchy pop tunes for an older crowd, Siwa has decided to come back like a boomerang to the kids business—by co-developing original toons with the company. While the multi-hyphenate star adds another line to her ever-growing resumé, Bhooshan’s Junior is getting a major boost from Siwa’s influential global brand. For a company that’s only turning five this year, this collab might be the start of something big. 

Zack Olin: The TV industry vet has landed a new SVP gig at Disney Television Animation, where he’ll shape the studio’s creative strategy and programming slate. Olin has been independent for a while, but this new chapter builds on the four years he spent at Nickelodeon and Awesomeness producing titles like Monster High: The Movie and XO, Kitty. We’re excited to see what that magic touch brings to the Mouse House.

PhatMojo, Spin Master and Story Kitchen: We know what you’re thinking: Did these three team up this week? Nope, you didn’t miss some big collab announcement—what we’re celebrating is a big week for brainrot. That’s right, in one week, all three companies signed deals related to the very-online absurdist trend that’s all about sharks with legs and chimps inside bananas. PhatMojo and Story Kitchen signed separate deals to respectively make toys and a movie based on the popular Roblox game Steal a Brainrot (55 billion visits and counting). Meanwhile, Spin Master unveiled plans to bring the meme-inspired trading card game Skifidol Italian Brainrot to North America. So since we can’t give brainrot itself a Gold Star, how about one for these three companies helping us fry our noggins? 

Simba Dickie Group: Many of us are grappling with the frigid temperatures and raging snowstorms of winter, but it’s all clear skies and sunshine for this German toy manufacturer after it acquired a majority stake in US-based Sunny Days Entertainment. It’s Simba’s second toyco acquisition after purchasing Jada Toys in 2019, and it’ll use Sunny Days’ network to strengthen its stateside footprint and expand into categories like licensed potty seats and pop-up play tents. In exchange, Simba will bring Sunny’s toy lines into international waters. Fingers crossed for clear skies and smooth sailing.

Thunderbird Entertainment: Thunder struck twice this week, first with Thunderbird Distribution announcing Moose Toys as the global master toy partner for JAM Media’s series BeddyByes. This preschool show is all about young creatures making the calming journey to sleepytown, and now there’s a partner on board who can make toys to help kids wind down IRL. While this deal was surely met with thunderous applause, Thunderbird has another reason to celebrate this week: Its acquisition by Blue Ant Media closed, opening the gates to a merger of two big industry players that has the potential to capture lightning in a bottle.

Who had the best week in the bunch? Vote here to let us know what you think:

Want to pitch us a Gold Star nomination? Send an email to submissions@kidscreen.com by noon on Thursdays. And check back every Friday for our next batch of nominees. Hope to see you on the list!